Movable fire-escape balcony.



.PATENTED FEB. 3, 1903.

M. L. GRONIN.

MOVABLE FIRE ESCAPE BALCONY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1902.

A TTOHN responding parts in all the views.

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTHA L. CRONIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOVABLE FIRE-ESCAPE BALCONY.

SPEGXFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 719,755, dated February 3, 1903.

Application filed April 29, 1902. Serial No. 106,188. (No model.)

To aZZ whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTHA L. CRoNIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Movable Fire- Escape Balcony, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved movable fire-escape balcony arranged ordinarily within a room as a piece of furniture and adapted to be held in place on the outside of the window as a balcony in case of fire to allow a person or persons to take refuge on the balcony for protection from the flames and smoke in the room and for convenient reach by the firemen.

Theinvention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate cor- Figure 1 is asectional side elevation of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the balcony set up as a piece of furniture, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the latch for locking the front legs in a folded position. 7

The improved device consists, essentially, of a bottom or seat A, on which are integrally held the sides B and the front 0, and on the under side of the said bottom or seat A are secured the fixed legs D and the hinged legs E, adapted to be folded against the under side of the bottom and locked together in this folded position by a spring-catch F, held on one of the legs E and engaging a recess F in the other leg, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 4. The sides 13 preferably terminate a distance from the end of the seat A, carrying the fixed legs D, and this end of the seat A is provided with sidewise extensions G, each provided with a forwardlyextending lug G, adapted to rest against the inside of the wall of a room next to the win dow-casing, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2, at

[the time the device is used as a balcony.

The sides B and the front 0 of my device are provided with oblong apertures or cutaway portions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. These cut-away portions serve to make the device lighter for handling, while leaving it abundantly strong to meet all the requirements of the different purposes for which it is intended. Furthermore, they add not only to the lightness but also to the appearance of the article as a piece of furniture.

The sides and front of my device being made integral with the bottom and with each other instead of being hinged or otherwise secured together gives it a decided advantage in point of safety over any other device of its kind with which I am acquainted.

The outer ends of the sides B are hung on chains H secured at H to the window-casin or the outside of the wall of the building, the said chains being provided at their lower ends with snap-hooks or similar devices H for engagement with rings or eyes I, secured to the said forward ends of the sides 13. On the window-sill are secured blocks J, having their top surfaces extending approximately in the same horizontal plane as the top surface of the bottom of the window-casing, so that when the device is used as a balcony the under side of the seat A rests on the said bottom of the window-casing, and the blocks J thus hold the bottom in an approximately horizontal position, the outer end being held in place from tipping over by the chains H, as plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

When the device is used as a piece of furniture within a room, then the chains H are unhooked from the eyes I and the legsE are extended, as plainly shown in Fig. 3, so that the device can be used as a chair, a cozycorner, or like piece of furniture, and when it is desired to use the device as a balcony then the legs E are folded up and locked in place by the catch F, as previously explained, and then the chains H are connected with the eyes I and pushed into position in the window, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the lugs G abut against the inside of the wall of the room and the seat A rests on the blocks J, as'previously explained. Thus when the device is in this position persons within the room can take refuge on the balcony in case of fire, so as to be protected against flames and smoke, and at the same time the balcony can be readily reached by the firemen to rescue persons from the balcony.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A movable fire-escape balcony, comprising a balcony proper, having sides, a front and a bottom or seat, the latter being formed With an extension at each side, to abut against the inside of the Wall on opposite sides of the window-casing, the said sides and front being formed integral with the bottom, and.

chains held on the outside of the Wall, adapted to engage the sides of the balcony at the forward ends thereof, as set forth.

2. A. movable fire-escape balcony, comprising a balcony proper, having sides, a front and a bottom or seat, the latter being formed with an extension at each side, to abut against the inside of the wall on opposite sides of the window-casing, the said side and front sec tions being rigidly united with the bottom and With each other and having cut-away portions, chains held on the outside of the Wall, adapted to engage the sides of the balcony at the forward ends thereof, and blocks secured to the window-sill, for the bottom to rest on, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

MARTHA L. CRONIN.

Witnesses:

ADDIE J. LUGKER, GEORGE W. BRETTELL. 

